


The Queen of Zalfar

by 2000pancakes



Series: The Royals (Reylo) [1]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Drunk Rey, F/M, Fluff, Force Bonds, Just an excuse for Kylo to see Rey in a pretty dress?, Post TLJ, Rey treated like a princess, Reylo - Freeform, it's more likely than you think, lots of non canon aspects, protective kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:08:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2000pancakes/pseuds/2000pancakes
Summary: Rey is on a diplomatic mission to the planet of Zalfar in order to secure a valuable ally for the Resistance.Once in Anara, the capital, Rey is exposed to a vibrant and rich lifestyle in which she can taste a life she had never been able to touch before.





	1. Anara

"Remember, Rey," the hologram of General Organa said to her, "Zalfar is a fairly traditional planet, it's very fond of its customs and pleasantries so pay attention to how you carry yourself about their queen."

"Understood, General."

"Oh, and she knows you're a Jedi, well, I told her that you're a Jedi."

"I'm not technically a Jedi but okay."

"As I said, Zalfar is a traditional place. The Jedi are an ancient order, she'll be pleased of having you there. It's just a diplomatic mission, and Zalfar is far enough to avoid the First Order's reach, but I've informed them to have high security on you at all times."

Rey nodded, "thank you."

"I see you're nearing Zalfar, good luck, Rey."

Rey smiled as the hologram faded, she took a deep breath as she began the descend.

Rey had been instructed to land in a small town a few hours out from the capital, because the queen didn't want foreign ships in her docking bays. She honed in on the coordinates and prepared to land.

 

Rey was surprised at how desert-like the place was. It almost looked like the scavenger town she had lived in on Jakku. When she landed, a dark haired woman stood a few feet away from her ship, ready to greet her.

The woman was dressed beautifully, and Rey instantly worried over whether she should have gotten other clothes before coming, but the woman didn't seem to mind. She smiled and approached Rey pleasantly.

"Master Jedi," the woman smiled, "I am here to receive you. My name is Okkara Kim, I'll be taking you to our capital and will have the honor of giving you a tour."

"Ah, thank you, Okkara, and you can just call me Rey."

Okkara nodded, "your transport is waiting."

 

They entered an almost new-looking cruiser. The seats were cushioned, the most comfortable Rey had ever felt in any type of speeder.

Okkara told the driver to head for Anara. 

On the way there, Okkara discussed the schedule with Rey.

"Our Queen, Emlyn, is going to be addressing another political matter for the next few days but while you're here she made sure that all the necessary preparations were made to make you right at home."

"Your Queen has my greatest thanks," Rey told her.

"Oh, she knows. Your kind general has already given us many words of endearment. Today, there will not be much, you'll be shown to your quarters, our dressmaker Nata will have to get you..." she glanced at Rey's attire, "some other things to wear."

Rey breathed heavily, she knew it.

"The Queen knows that the Jedi need to train heavily to keep up their skills, so the Queen's personal courtyard has been converted into a temporary training area for you to practice, I will show that to you tonight as well, and then you'll have dinner in your quarters. The Queen regrets not being able to prepare a feast to celebrate your arrival, as she usually does, but she hopes to throw one as soon as she returns."

"Really, I don't deserve any of this," Rey told her, "I'm just an ambassador for the resistance here."

"The resistance has always been a friend to Zalfar, we are glad for the you to finally recognize us a valuable ally to your cause," she smiled, "Zalfar has armies, strong and vast on every one of our continents. The Queen even has her own private army of bounty hunters and assassins that will come to her at a moment's notice. She will give the resistance these resources, in order to throttle the threat of the First Order once and for all."

Rey nodded, "so you think negotiations with the Queen will go smoothly?" she asked.

"Absolutely, they'll go wonderfully."

 

About an hour through the desert, as the sun began to set, Rey noticed more and more green. A flowing river. Grass, and then they entered the walls of Anara. They were golden. It was like stepping into a dream.

It was nearly dark, but the capital was lit like the sun. On the streets she saw people walking, all dressed lavishly, some of them bowing towards her and Okkara as the speeder went past.

There were fountains by every street corner, and right in the middle, looming over everything was a palace unlike anything Rey had ever seen before.

"You know Anara was once considered as a possible location for a Jedi temple during the old republic," Okkara noted, "but ultimately they chose Coruscant, it was more central in relation to rest of the republic, but you have to admit the more scenic option would've been here."

"How is there an oasis this large in the middle of a desert?" Rey asked.

"There is a lot of debate over it," Okkara admitted, "but many agree that it was just chance. Others think it was the magic of the old Goddesses, some of them believe that the force here flows deeper than on the rest of the planet. You can decide for yourself."

 

As they entered the palace walls and the gate behind them closed, Okkara helped Rey out of the speeder. Two women dressed in golden armor were waiting for them.

"The Queen as assigned you a personal guard for your safety here, but she can also assure that Anara is perfectly secure, and even without them you'll be entirely safe."

Rey looked to the waists of the guards, "are those lightsabers?" she asked.

Okkara nodded, "the Queens guard has always carried such a weapon. It's the only weapon the royalties have ever trusted here on Zalfar."

As they walked within the palace, Rey noted that there weren't many men working there.

"Well, you see the Queens of Anara have never really trusted the presence of men. We have always been a matriarchal society. However men do hold positions in the military and on the Queens council, it's just very few. The rest of the city is full of them though if you feel like you require their presence."

"No," Rey laughed, "it's fine I was just pointing it out."

Okkara led Rey up a few flights of stairs and down a winding corridor until they reached a door, "these are your quarters, you can make yourself at home. I need to check on a few things for a while. The guards will be right out your door if you need anything."

"Thank you, Okkara."

Okkara smiled and left Rey. She entered the room.

There was a large bed with silken sheets right before her as she walked in. Across from it, was an opening window where she saw a balcony. There were other doors in the room as well. Upon exploring, one lead to a bathroom and the other was a walk in cupboard, completely empty. 

There was a desk with writing materials and a holopad, a vase with flowers sat next to them. 

Rey walked over to the bed and threw herself down onto it. She let out a sigh.

It was so, so soft. Like she was lying on a feather. She simply sank into the material.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Rey called out.

The door opened and a short, grey-haired women walked in dragging a chest with her, "so you're Rey?" she asked.

Rey nodded, standing up.

"I am Nata, I'm going to be clothing you for your next few days now," she looked Rey up and down, "get those rags off."

Rey looked offended, "rags?"

"Yes, Rags. A guest of the queen can not be seen wandering the palace in such a garb. Now go, get them off, do it in the bathing room if you please."

Rey walked into the bathroom, closed the door and began to undress, she wrapped herself in a towel and left with her clothes in her arms.

Nata snatched the clothing from Rey's arms.

"Hey! Those are mine."

"If you're so attached to these I'll give them to you once you leave."  Nata gestured to the chest, "there are a number of clothing items in there appropriate for just about all women about your size. I suggest you look through them and decide which ones you like best. If you are unhappy with the selection you can tell Okkara and I will make the necessary changes. Now, I'll leave you in peace."

Nata left the room and Rey was left standing, wearing nothing but a towel.

When Nata left she quickly rushed to the door and locked it. She wouldn't want anyone walking in on her.

She knelt down, opening up the chest. 

Now, this was an array of colors she was not used to.

The first dress she saw a full length red one. She picked it up. The flow of fabric was almost like water, beautifully smooth to the touch.

"Why is everything here have to be so gorgeous," Rey muttered to herself.

She dropped the towel and slipped on the dress. It was lovely against her skin. The sleeves were a little tight, clinging gracefully to her arms. Rey walked over to a mirror that sat on the far side of the room.

She had never seen herself with a dress on before.

It gave her... shape? She supposed. The girl in the mirror did not look like her at all. She looked elegant, royal almost. 

Rey let down her hair and let it fall to her shoulders.

It felt necessary. 

 

And then there came that echoing silence. She shut her eyes.

_Dammit._

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

Rey turned around, the fabric flowing with her as she did, "a dress."

He raised an eyebrow, "you... in a dress."

"Yes."

He stared at her, "where are you?"

"Hmph, wouldn't you like to know."

"No, no I mean I hope you're nowhere important."

"Why?"

"Well, you're not wearing any shoes."

Rey tried to slide her feet so that the fabric covered them, it didn't work.

"Well, it's good thing I'm not anywhere important right now, I was just... trying it on."

"Well, it looks... nice." Rey saw him swallow. She resisted the urge to snicker at him.

 _Payback,_ she thought. 

"So, are you alright?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk, Ben. I'm tired. I just want to sleep."

She walked over to the bed and lay herself down. She watched as Kylo walked over to her and sat down on some unseen object.

"Have you changed your mind?" he asked.

"How many times have you asked that?"

"Too many to count."

"And have changed yours?"

He shook his head.

"Then, no, Ben. I haven't changed my mind."

Rey sighed and was about to close her eyes when she saw his hand remove itself from his glove reach out towards her leg, she sat up quickly and then realized he was only touching the material of the dress.

"What is this made out of?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know," Rey said. 

"It's expensive material. Like Haloran Maer or Anarian Silk."

Rey felt her heart skip a beat,  _what if he knew where she was._

"It's not very durable though," he noted, "if you had to tug it hard enough" he let the fabric fall through his fingers, "it would simply rip right off."

Their eyes met and he put the glove back on his hand, "well, I trust you won't do that."

"Well then, I'm glad you trust me."

Rey could feel a stiff tension forming in the air between them, she looked into his brown eyes, the deepness of them as they stared straight back into hers. Her eyes traced the scar on his face... she wanted to reach out and touch it.

And then he was gone.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hoping that she could at least take a nap before her dinner came.

 


	2. A Walk by the Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Okkara walk through the flower gardens of the Palace. She tells Rey about the history of the Queen.

_His hand touching her dress, her hands, her hair, wrapping it around his fingers, letting it drop onto the sheets..._

_"Rey."_

_"Ben, we can't."_

_"Please."_

 

Rey woke up to a knocking at her door, "Rey? It's Okkara. Are you up."

She shot out her bed and unlocked the door to meet Okkara, "Good morning."

"I hope you had a good rest."

 _I wish,_ "Yes," she replied, "the bed was very comfy."

Okkara smiled, "that's good. If you'd like, after breakfast I could give you a tour of the palace gardens."

Rey nodded, "sounds amazing, I'd just like to get dressed first, do I have to go anywhere for breakfast."

"Oh no," Okkara chuckled, "I'll have someone bring you something to eat in a few minutes."

"Thanks."

Okkara then left Rey. She stood there, her back leaning on the door for a moment. She had to stop having these dreams. Every night it was the same. Every night it was the visions of him in front of her, standing there. The pain in his eyes as she refused him. And then he was always there with her, even when she'd left. 

She pushed the image of him out of her head and walked over to the large windowed door, she opened it up and stepped out onto the balcony. Below her, she observed the gardens. People were already out and walking through them, there was the low hum of morning chatter. A variety of birds sang from the city below, the sun shone warmly on her skin. She breathed in the air, letting the calmness of the morning hang over her for a while.

 

After breakfast, Rey showered and clothed herself in the next dress in the chest. A bright yellow one, there was a white pattern on the sleeves. She also fished out some shoes, grey slip-on ones. 

Okkara was waiting for her by the stairs, "you look nice, Rey."

"You think so?" Rey asked, "I don't normally wear dresses but that's the only thing your dressmaker got for me."

"Well, it's a formality for women of your stature to wear dresses in the palace, shall we visit the gardens?"

 

Once they were walking among the flowers, Okkara starting naming each species and the planet that they were from.

"How do you remember all of this?" Rey asked.

"Our Queen loves her flowers, her trees, her plants. Everything that grows from the ground really. It's almost a hobby of hers."

They came to a bench that overlooked the palace, they both sat down on it.

"The Queen educates all of her servants in the castle, even from when I was a young girl."

"Your Queen teaches you?" Rey asked.

Okkara laughed, "no! But she does hire a tutor. She won't have any illiterate workers in her palace."

Okkara looked up at the palace, "she has a passion for words as well, poetry, ancient writings, books. However she seldom gets time to indulge herself, she is very busy at the moment, with the war going on. And she's always looking after her people." Okkara gestured beyond the walls of the palace, "she cares about each and every one of us in Anara. And she does her best to protect the nearby towns. She controls the politics of the entire planet, of course there are places where even her rule cannot reach but she really tries. She truly wants to protect us."

"She sounds like a good leader."

"She wasn't always like this," Okkara admitted, "she only truly stepped up to her purpose after her mother, the last queen died. To be honest the queen spent most of her time in Anara's nightclubs and such."

"Nightclubs?" Rey asked.

Okkara nodded, "Anara has a truly vibrant nightlife, you could go some night if you wish, your guards will have to accompany though."

"Sounds... interesting." Rey admitted. 

"It is, I don't fancy that lifestyle but the queen loved it. I do believe that she hasn't set foot in one since she's taken up the throne."

"What other family does the queen have?" Rey asked.

"Two brothers, one is married to a noblewoman on the Eastern side of Zalfar, the other is one of her military generals. Her father left when she was very young. He wasn't royalty, he wasn't even married to the queen. Of course the queen's husband probably had a hand in getting rid of him."

Rey raised an eyebrow, "the former queen had an affair?"

Okkara nodded, "I don't remember the name of the man, but he was some sort of smuggler. His ship was quite impressive. He was helping the queen with trade route schemes and so forth. Well, he left and soon after the queen's husband died. And then the queen fell ill, she fought for as long as she could. But in the end Emlyn had to take up the throne. And now we are still flourishing under her rule."

"I see." Rey gazed up at the castle. Okkara stood up, "I'm so sorry, Rey, but I have other castle business to attend to. You can stay in the garden as long as you like, though."

"Thank you, Okkara, I'll see you later."

 

Rey continued to walk around the garden, admiring the various flowers that grew there. A familiar shudder came over her and the world became silent.

She knelt down and picked up a fallen flower from the floor.

She turned and saw him sitting down, chewing.

"So," she said, pulling a petal off the flower, "the Supreme Leader eats. You learn something new every day."

Kylo swallowed, used a piece of material to wipe his mouth and stood up, "another dress he said."

"Unfortunately it's all I have to wear. They took my other clothes away you see," she continued to pull petals off of the flower, "so have you found us yet?" she asked.

He cocked his head.

"The resistance base, our new one, have you found it?"

"We have some possible locations, but I'm guessing you aren't there with them."

"What makes you say that?"

"You wouldn't be walking around a resistance base in that," he said, gesturing to the dress she had on.

"You never know, I might take it back with me, try it on every now and again."

"You're someplace sunny," he said.

"What?"

"The sun, it's on your face. Reflecting in your hair. It looks warm."

She pulled another petal off the flower, "changed your mind?"

"No." 

She watched it fall to the ground.

"Have you?"

"No."

Her flower was down to two petals, "are we going to continue to do this to each other?" she asked, "this... this game? For how long?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, until one of us gives in."

"Or dies," Rey supposed, "there is a war going on after all."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Rey."

"Spoken like a true enemy," she picked off another petal and let it fall to her feet. One to go.

"I can't get you out of my head," she admitted, "at night, when I sleep. During the day, when you come to me like this. I don't want this. I don't want you tormenting me." She pulled off the last petal and watched as it began to fall.

It stopped before it hit the ground, she looked up and saw Kylo holding his arm out, using the force to catch the flower. He drew it to himself, clutching it in his fist, "you're in my dreams too."

"And do you want them to end?" she asked.

He looked at her, "I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?"

He sighed, "you have that effect, Rey."

She took a step back, he took one forward, "we're connected, that much I know. We're equals in the force, or opposites, or whatever big master plan the force has."

He took another step forward, Rey did not for fear of stumbling into the garden bushes, "but there's something else, Rey, a burn. Deep within my soul, my spirit. And you're at the center of it. Sometimes it hurts," he reached out and lightly touched her hair, "and sometimes it sings."

Then he was gone.

Rey heard the birds singing, her heart was beating slow and hard. 

 

Kylo opened up his hand and saw the petal sitting in his palm. He grasped it again, feeling as if it was a way to hold on to her.

 


	3. The Nightlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey decides to explore the vibrant nightlife of Anara.

Rey picked up the next dress for herself. It was a deep, startling black. Simple and long. She put it on opened went out onto the balcony, admiring the night. From the city below she heard the sounds of music and voices, it was a strange, different world out there.

She left the room and said to the guards, "I'm thinking about taking a walk around the city. You're going to escort me?"

One of the guards nodded and they began to follow her and she went walked across the corridor and down the steps that led to the outside world.

 

During the day, the city was paradise. 

At night, the city was a dream.

Rey marveled at the brightly lit lights on every building. At the people dressed in lavish clothing. She wandered the streets, from corner to corner, breathing in the sounds, the lights, the sights. She felt so very out of place, even in her own skin. She was a different person walking this city, not a scavenger from Jakku, an honored guest of a queen.

An entrance on the side of a building caught her eye, the name of it was in a language she couldn't understand, but the enticing green light that came from the inside seemed to call to her.

"I'm going to go in there," she said to one of the guards, pointing to it.

The guard nodded.

Inside there were so many people, dancing under so many lights. The music was unfamiliar and strangely hypnotic. She found herself becoming absorbed into the atmosphere... 

Lost.

But, behind every person, in ever flash of light, she began to see him.

Not in a force bond, no. He was just... there. It was her mind, playing tricks on her. Refusing to let her forget.

Get out of my head...

She walked up to the bar in the middle of the room, "something strong," was all she said to the smiling bartender.

The bartender slid her a small glass with some bright orange liquid in it, "Anarian Special," the bartender sad. 

Rey drank from the glass in one go, almost immediately regretting her decision.

She turned back to the dance floor.

The lights began to blind her, the music was too distorted to follow. And then he was there. In front of her, behind her. Always at her side. 

"Ben," she whispered.

There was no answer, of course he wasn't really there. It was only her imagination. She let herself sink into the crowd, she struggled to breathe, like she was drowning, but at the same time her heart was racing, she could feel the blood flowing through her veins. She felt a different kind of alive.

But he was still there in the middle of it. Watching her. And then he was with her, his hand on hers, in her hair, sliding down her black dress...

She shook him away and found herself standing alone in the middle of the floor, surrounded by strangers.

She turned until she found one of her guards, "I want... I want to leave," she said, hoping that the words were making it out of her mouth. The guard nodded and supported her as they left the building.

 

Rey stumbled into her room, shutting the door behind her. She tried to get the music out of her head, but it was still stuck there. The lights still flashed all around her. She could barely stand on her feet.

And then, and then oh sweet, silence.

It echoed around her.

She fell, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the fall.

But instead she was caught, two arms grasped her back, pulling her up to her feet again.

Rey looked into his eyes for a long time before muttering, "You."

Kylo held her, feeling that she was still weak.

"Yes, Rey. It's me."

"It's always you," she stammered, "you're always there. You're always here. You never leave," she looked up at him, "why don't you ever leave?"

He ran a hand through her hair, "you look tired, Rey."

Rey put her hand over his as it ran through her hair, "you're not wearing your gloves."

"One doesn't normally wear gloves when they're about to sleep."

"Are you going to leave in your..." she searched for the words, "Kylo suit?"

"This?" he gestured to the clothes he was wearing.

"Yup, that," she said.

"I was about to take them off, you kind of just stumbled in here."

"Well, why did you stop," she giggled.

"You are intoxicated," he said to her.

"You still have all your clothes on."

"Do you have a bed where you are? Somewhere I can lay you down?"

"It's not like I haven't seen you without a shirt on, Ben."

He gave her a blank stare.

Rey sighed, "it's over there," she gestured in the general direction of her bed. 

As he walked her over, she tossed herself onto it, sliding herself under the covers, "thank you."

He sat down beside her, "you need to sleep."

"I want to sleep, you won't let me."

"What do you mean."

"Whenever I sleep, you're always, always there. With me. You don't really do much, it's just... weird. It's not really sleeping anymore. It's just," she waved her hand towards his presence, "more of this."

"Would this be a bad time to ask if your answer has changed."

"Yes, and no, it hasn't. I don't want to rule the galaxy with you or whatever. I can't rule a galaxy. I just want..." she yawned, "hope. Or something."

"We can bring hope together, Rey."

"No," she sighed, closing her eyes, "not until you find the light."

And then she slept, and after a few minutes, Kylo was gone.

 

He was left with the image of her sleeping expression in his mind, her head leaned slightly towards him. Her eyelids so lightly closed. 

Her words echoed in his mind.

"Not until you find the light."

She didn't understand, he had found the light. It was her. It was always her.


	4. The Rise and the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okkara watches Rey practice in the courtyard. They speak about ruling kingdoms and toppling empires.

Rey was grateful for the feel of a lightsaber in her grip again. She had borrowed one from the palace armory and was using it in the makeshift training area.

The area was in a courtyard located in the center of the palace, cut off from the rest of the gardens. The Queens tables and chairs and various statues had been removed to create a wide place for Rey to practice with. She swung the lightsaber at a wooden dummy placed in the middle of the courtyard, stopping her blows just before they hit the wood.

"Why won't you hit it?" Okkara asked, who had been watching her from the side.

"I need to learn to exercise a certain level of control as a Jedi," Rey explained, swinging the lightsaber again, "I can't let the force control me, it can guide, but never control."

"What happens if it does?" she asked.

"Then you've fallen to the dark side," Rey drew her lightsaber, walking up to Okkara to sit down for a minute, "the light, it's all about control, patience. Knowing when to stop. The dark is all about power, losing control."

"But the force," Okkara said, "it's all about balance, so what's the middle ground?"

Rey shrugged, "there always has to be the light and the dark, I suppose. It's just that one must never fully control the other."

Okkara nodded, "that seems to make sense."

They sat for a while, Rey drank water from her flask.

"So the First Order, the Sith lord that runs it..."

"He's not a Sith," Rey corrected her quickly, "he calls himself the 'Supreme Leader' or whatever but he is not a Sith."

"Okay then, this 'Supreme Leader', he exercises too much control over the force using the dark side?"

"He refuses to give in to the balance," Rey said, "he's not evil, he's lost."

"Do you think he can be turned? Do you think if he is the First Order will end?"

Rey shrugged, "the First Order will end anyway. All empires must fall."

"And all Republics?" Okkara asked, "I assume that the Resistance wants to form a new republic, again."

"If the balance," Rey said, "between light and dark in the force is found again, I believe that a New Republic will not fall as long as that balance is kept in check."

"I understand. You have faith then, in the republic?"

Rey nodded, "I have hope."

Okkara sighed, "perhaps the Kingdom of Zalfar will join the republic, once it's formed. Who would be the senator, would it be the queen?"

"I don't... I don't know. I haven't really experience a republic."

"You are part of the resistance though?"

"Yes... but I'm not really part of planning the New Republic, that's probably left up to the leaders."

"This planet has had a lot of kingdom's rise and fall," Okkara said, "many different families and many, many wars. This one, now, what they're calling 'The Era of Queens', it's lasted the longest. I fear the day when this era ends. It's perfect here, on Zalfar. And I worry that someday it might all come to end."

"Everything has to come to an end," Rey said.

"I know that, it's just difficult to grasp. Our Queen knows it as well, I think she's worried. There's so much chaos happening with the war, with some of these leaderless states. That's why she has expanded our armies, and I believe that's why she brought you here. To help end the war."

"Speaking of the queen," Rey asked, "when is she going to be returning."

"Tomorrow, actually," Okkara beamed, "she's looking forward to meeting you. There's a lovely afternoon feast in your honor. I trust you'll dress as beautifully as you have these past few days."

Rey smiled, "I'll try. And will the negotiations take place tomorrow as well? I am anxious to get back to the Resistance, and I am sure General Organa wants to hear from me as soon as possible."

"I trust that our queen will try her best to speed up procedures, now if you will kindly excuse me again, my friend, I have to attend to matters within the palace," Okkara left, as she did every day. Rey wondered what tasks she had around the palace.

She set the lightsaber down on the bench. She was still tired from last night, she couldn't really remember much. Only that she had gone out into the city, there were lights... music, and then at the end Ben had come to her.

But, it was all blurry.

 

She found her thoughts drifting to him, as they always did. Like leaves falling from the tree, drifting in the wind, it was impossible to control their course. 

And it all led back to him.

Oh, how she wanted to push him away. She wished that she could fight back with everything she felt for him. But there was something inside of her, something drawing her to him, it was beyond the force and their connection. She didn't have to pay any attention to him. But then she would always turn back, look into his deep, brown eyes. She would feel, across the space between them, the warmth of his embrace. The feeling in the slight movement of his lips. 

No, she couldn't let herself think of him in that way. She was stronger than this. 

But was she?

She would melt at the way he could see right through her, without saying a word. The way he could touch her soul without moving a finger. He could break her heart with only a phrase. 

Every time they met, in her own way, Rey would always feel herself surrender to him.

She looked ahead of her, wishing he would come to her now, hoping that he wouldn't.

It was times like these when she felt that she would fall to him, stop the fighting, end the conflict.

Accept his offer. Join him. Belong to him.

Maybe then this burning in her heart would stop. 


	5. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The queen arrives.

Rey dressed in a sleek, off-white dress. One of the last ones left in the chest. She readied herself.

The queen had arrived.

Okkara came to her room, "are you ready?" she asked.

"I hope so," Rey said, as she left the room with Okkara, the guards right behind her. 

"You'll be fine," Okkara assured her, "she already knows what she needs to do in order to secure Zalfar."

Rey walked down to another hallway where she had not been before, there was a large, gold plated door at the end of it.

"That's the throne room, she'll be waiting in there."

Rey started to walk towards it, Okkara catching her hand before she could leave, "what is it?" Rey asked.

Okkara was about to say something, but she shook it off, "good luck, I suppose."

Rey entered the throne room.

 

Upon a large, silvery throne at the back of a small hall, there sat a tall, woman with dark, curly hair and a lavish crown on her head. She stood up, smiling, "Jedi Rey, it is an honor to meet you!"

"The honor is all mine, your grace," Rey bowed slightly unsure of how to act in front of an actual Queen.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. I haven't properly introduced myself, my name is Emlyn Orwa-Calrissian. You can just call me Emlyn, if you please."

Rey stood before her, "could I just stick with your grace?" she couldn't possibly imagine addressing someone like this by their first name.

The queen laughed, "if it makes you feel better."

Rey heard the throne room door open and close, on turning she saw that her guards had come in.

"So, Rey. We're here about the negotiations."

"Yes, about securing troops for the resistance."

The queen looked up at her, "I'm afraid, Rey, that on the political retreat I have just returned on, I have completed other negotiations."

Rey was silent for a while, "what do you mean?"

"As the Queen of Zalfar, I am sworn to protect my people. In any way possible. I, for one, believe that the First Order will become a great threat if we agree to help your cause."

Rey tried to stammer something, taking a step back.

"But do not worry, Rey. You see. I found another offer, one that would ensure the safety of Zalfar for as long as possible."

Rey turned and saw the guards locking the throne room door.

"Your grace..?"

"This is a trade off, Rey. I am so, so sorry."

From a side door, at the other end of the room, a group of stormtroopers came in followed by a short red-headed man. 

"This is her?" The queen asked him.

General Hux nodded, "yes, indeed," he turned to the stormtroopers, "set your blasters to stun. We need her alive."

Rey lunged for the door but before she could open it the guards drew their lightsabers, she stepped back. She was cornered.

Right before she heard the firing of a blaster and felt the terribly painful jolt of the stun, she saw Kylo standing before her, he looked downcast.

"Ben," Rey whispered, a tear falling from her cheek as she fell unconscious to the ground.

Hux turned to the stormtrooper closest to him, "quick, inform the Supreme Leader that we have her."

 

Kylo saw her disappear and felt the connection break the minute she hit the floor. In those, few small moments, he could feel the betrayal from her. No anger, no rage. Just... a heavy, weighing betrayal.

He had betrayed her. 

He had not felt a pain such as this in a long time.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you want a follow-up fic on this!
> 
> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Update***  
> The sequel to this is “The Prince of Darkness”, it’s the next work in the series.
> 
> Thanks again!


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